


An unusual date

by popnographic



Category: Free!
Genre: (well... I can't promise much), A little angst - not too much though!, Fluff, Glasses date!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 10:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2769404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popnographic/pseuds/popnographic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei gathers the courage to ask Makoto out on a date after a very unfortunate (or fortunate?) event. It's not a very traditional date, but at least it's something. And that's all Rei wants, anyway.</p><p>Written for Rei's birthday, December 14, 2014.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An unusual date

A sigh cuts through the chattering coming from the TV. It's not even that interesting of a show, but Rei finds himself watching it anyway. He doesn't have anything else to do now that his pile of homework is reduced to zero, so he decided to spend some time with his parents in the living room instead.

"Rei, love — if you're squinting so much when just watching TV, don't you think it's about time to get new glasses? When did you get those, by the way?"

He catches himself very much squinting at the TV in front of him as his mother calls out to him. Rei frowns a little, trying to recall the last time he actually went to get those glasses he's wearing right now. Two years? Three? He doesn't remember. He must've been fourteen when he did as he was in his last year of middle school when he got them, so that makes three years.

Realising it baffles Rei, and he clears his throat. "I guess it has been a while", he admits.

"Promise me to book an appointment soon", his mother says and gives him a stern look. Rei sighs and looks at his hands. "Yes, I will."

 

*

 

Nagisa looks at him with a quizzical look on his face. The two of them are walking to school together, and still have plenty of time until their first class begins.

"Is it  _that_ bad? Maybe you should ask Maeda-sensei if you can sit in the front or something", he suggests, and Rei shakes his head furiously. "I'll be fine; I'm going to book an appointment with my optometrist after school, and hopefully I will get the problem taken care of soon."

"If you say so", his friend replies with a shrug.

The first subject of the day is maths, and Rei almost has to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress the laughter that threatens to bubble up within him, as he listens to Nagisa's low groaning in the bench beside his. He's always been good with numbers, calculations and coming to logical conclusions, but he knows Nagisa is more or less the opposite. Although, Nagisa's skills in maths had greatly improved thanks to them studying together every now and then.

He sends Nagisa a hopefully encouraging note to help him get through this class. He knows very well how it feels to have a subject you're not very good at, as he has to go through it every art and music class. Gladly, he does well in pretty much every other subject, so getting through high school shouldn't be too much of a problem. Or at least that's what he hopes — he still has one more year to go before he graduates.

The day progresses much like any other day at school. The team, including Gou, have lunch on the roof together before they head toward their last class of the day, which happens to be history, which is one of Nagisa's best subjects. _At least he has something to end his day on a good note_ , Rei thinks to himself.

Nagisa is on cleaning duty that day, and he tells Rei to go on ahead without him. He feels bad, but he does as he's told and exits the classroom to go down and get his shoes in his locker. As he goes down the stairs, two familiar voices reaches his ears, and there's one that especially makes his heart flutter.

"I can't believe you broke them. What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I obviously need new ones. It wasn't really on purpose, Haru."

"I know. But you're usually more careful than that."

Rei walks all the way down the stairs and meets his two upperclassmen in the hallway leading to his locker. "Hello, Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai."

"Oh hi, Rei. Are you heading home?" Makoto asks. He nods, and glances at Haruka who seems to not be able to quite stand still. It's not like him, so Rei can't help but be curious. "Is something wrong, Haruka-senpai?"

Haruka looks at him and loks as if he's been woken out of a daydream. "I'm sort of in a hurry. I need to meet Rin at Samezuka soon — he wants to race me one more time before prefecturals." He ends with a sigh, and Rei smiles.

"You don't have to stand around here, you can go on ahead. I can go home with Rei instead, that's fine", Makoto says, and Rei silently thanks the gods above.

"Okay. Are you sure?" Haruka asks, and Makoto nods with a little laugh. "Yes. Just go. Tell Rin I said hi."

Haruka, still a bit hesitant, leaves the two of them behind and Rei suddenly feels nervous. He scrapes his shoe against the floor and looks down, unsure of what to say in this situation. He's rarely left alone with Makoto as Haruka is almost always at his side wherever they go. So now that they're separated and Makoto's left alone with him, Rei doesn't know what to do.

He glances at Makoto and notices he's holding onto a pair of black glasses. "Do you wear glasses, Makoto-senpai?"

Makoto looks down at his hand. "Ah, yeah. Well, they're reading glasses, really. I only wear them during classes and when I watch TV. But, er, I dropped them earlier without noticing and a classmate stepped on them."

Rei raises his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry."

And then a brilliant idea comes to mind. Since Rei is in dire need of new glasses and absolutely needs to get new ones soon (before his mother scolds him for procrastinating it), and since Makoto's reading glasses just broke...

Is he really going to take advantage of Makoto's misfortune? Isn't that just weird? Or even rude?

"Makoto-senpai... I hope this isn't odd or anything, but I was thinking... if you're okay with it, we could go and get new glasses, t-together."

He still looks down, but now his cheeks are burning. He's terrified of looking up and meeting Makoto's gaze, so staring down at his shoes seems like a good option.

"Really? That sounds like a great idea. I didn't know you needed new glasses."

He looks up and takes a deep breath to calm his racing heartbeat a little. "I haven't gotten new glasses in a few years, and I realised yesterday that I need new ones."

Makoto laughs. "Oh, I see. Well, I'd gladly go with you. Do you need to see an optometrist first?"

"I do", Rei replies, and Makoto nods. "Okay. If you don't think it's too awkward, I can come with you and then we can look at glasses together afterwards. I don't need to get a check-up before I get mine since I only need reading glasses, so I can get them whenever, really. Just let me know when you have an appointment booked and I'll come with you."

The two of them walk home together, and Makoto does pretty much all the talking since Rei seems to have lost his ability to speak. He responds with the occasional "uh-huh", "okay", "yes" and "oh, really?" and hopes Makoto doesn't think he's uninterested, because he's anything but. Rei loves listening to Makoto talk, no matter what he's talking about. His voice creates a hoard of butterflies in Rei's stomach, and he wishes he could spend time with Makoto like this more often — just the two of them.

"See you tomorrow, Rei", Makoto says as they stand by the crossroad where they have to part ways. Rei looks at his watch and finds out he still has plenty of time left in the day, and decides to call his optometrist as soon as he gets home, just to get it over with.

 _... and to make this happen faster_.

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Makoto-senpai", he responds, and they go their separate ways.

 

*

 

 **You** :

_I have an appointment booked on Thursday at four. Is that okay for you, or is it too soon?_

 

He sends the message and exhales a shaky breath of nervousness. _Two days_. Would this be considered a date? Not that Rei would mind — but maybe Makoto does. Maybe he does find it creepy, after all, and regrets saying yes to coming with Rei to get new glasses.

Rei is almost positive Makoto only sees him as a friend, while Rei constantly has to hold himself back, to remind himself that Makoto is a year older than him, that he's going to graduate soon and that they're going to go separate ways once this happens. And once Haruka and Makoto disappear, what's going to happen to the swim club? Are they going to disband? How are the three of them going to keep things going when they barely make it as it is right now?

Maybe they'll be forced to disband the club and do something else during their last year, but in that case, what are they going to do? Can Rei just casually go back to the track team and expect them to take him back as if he never left, even though Sera-senpai isn't going to be there next year? He's hopeful, if he  _does_ decide on going back.

But truth to be told, he doesn't want to. Thanks to Nagisa, Haruka and Makoto, he's realised that swimming is what he wants to do. This is where he belongs, and he doesn't feel like going back to the track team is much of an option for him now, even if they decide to quit the swim club.

A buzzing sound on the table in front of him makes Rei flinch and return to reality. He stares at his phone display for a few seconds before pressing the message he's received.

 **Makoto-senpai** :

_Thursday at four it is! It's a good thing we don't have practice then. Looking forward to it!_

 

Rei reads the message three times before he lets it sink in and a wide grin spreads across his face. An afternoon spent with Makoto, just the two of them... it's the first time he's going to be alone with Makoto and it makes him both happy and nervous.

A realisation hits him that instantly wipes that smile off his face and he breaks out in a cold sweat. So maybe he considers Makoto as more than a friend, but Makoto probably doesn't see him like that. No, it's not just a vague probability — it's a full on  _impossibility_. Rei is a year younger, and he definitely doesn't have anything that makes him stand out among others. And who's to say Makoto even likes boys in the first place? It would be incredibly naïve of Rei to think such a thing.

Nagisa knows about his feelings, and Rei's glad no one else does. He doesn't really want for it to become public knowledge as it would most certainly just embarrass him. He knows Makoto would confront him about it, and he knows very well what Makoto would say. He's surprised Makoto hasn't said anything about it yet as Rei's pretty sure he's very transparent and like an open book. Since Nagisa had figured it out, who was to say Makoto wouldn't?

Or maybe he's already figured it out but doesn't want to say anything about it. Rei doesn't know, and he doesn't really  _want_ to know. As long as Makoto doesn't say anything about it, it's all good. He's fine with it never reaching Makoto's ears anyway, since it means less confrontation on his part. It doesn't mean less pain, however, and coming clean to his upperclassman is something Rei's thought about countless of times.

How would he tell Makoto that the feelings he has are of romantic nature? How does he go about saying it without scaring Makoto off, without completely ruining their friendship?

"It's probably impossible", Rei muttters to himself under the covers, the night before they're going to look for glasses together after school. His stomach hurts and he's unable to sleep because of all the thoughts running through his mind. He's scared and worried that he's going to accidentally do or say something that'll reveal his feelings or make Makoto uncomfortable enough that he wants to leave. They're just going to get new glasses, what could possibly go wrong?

 _Well, just about everything_. He groans and turns over in bed for what feels like the fifty-eleventh time that night. He really wants to spend time with Makoto alone, even if it's not a date and it's just the two of them going to look for new glasses. It all sounds so silly that it probably doesn't count as a date in the first place. How's he supposed to know what defines a date, anyway? He's never been to one in his entire life, so maybe it's just... two friends hanging out.

Yeah, that's probably it. He's gotten himself worked up over nothing and this is now the reason as to why he can't sleep.

 _I'm such an idiot_ , he thinks and shoves the pillow over his head in a pathetic attempt to block out his thoughts and finally get some rest.

 

*

 

Rei meets Nagisa at their usual spot a quarter to eight the next morning. He didn't get very much sleep, and he's pretty sure he's got dark rings under his eyes to prove it to everyone else as well, as if the fatigue he feels isn't evidence enough for him.

"Good morning, Rei-chan!" Nagisa chirps as he comes close, and the sunbeam smile Nagisa has plastered all over his face is almost blinding to Rei. He forces himself to smile back. "Good morning, Nagisa-kun. Shall we go?"

"Sure, but, Rei-chan — are you okay? You don't look too well."

Rei waves his hand dismissively as he starts walking. "It's nothing, I just didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll be fine."

Nagisa still doesn't walk, and Rei stops to look back at him.

"Rei-chan, it'll be fine. I don't even know why you're so worried — it's not like Mako-chan doesn't like you or anything."

Clenching his fist, Rei frowns. "But not the same way I like him."

"Maybe he does", Nagisa muses and walks up to him. "You don't know until you ask, or until he explicitly tells you. Otherwise, it's really unfair on the both of you if you think that way. Don't you think?"

Rei can't help but raise his eyebrows at Nagisa's very unexpected words. He sighs in resignation. "You're probably right. Alright, let's just go or we'll be late for school."

His classes proceed at a very slow rate, and Rei finds it incredibly difficult to stay awake. At one point when he nearly smashed his forehead against the desk, Nagisa thankfully poked him in the back with a pen, making him a little bit more alert. They're in art class and have to practice shading, and Rei has to constantly bite back a sigh. Art is one of the subjects in which he's not doing too well, music being the other one. He's never once given up, though, despite how difficult it is for the most part.

"Good luck", Nagisa whispers to him as they exit the school building. Makoto stands by the gates, patiently waiting, and Rei wonders how long he's been standing there. He doesn't really know Haruka's and Makoto's timetable, so Makoto could very well have been standing there for a while now.

"Thank you, Nagisa-kun", he replies, and he feels as if his heart's going to beat its way out of his ribcage. Nagisa gives him a comforting pat on the back. "Call me tonight and tell me how it went!"

Nagisa disappears, and Rei walks up to Makoto on legs that feel like overcooked noodles. "Hello", Rei says. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

Makoto smiles and shakes his head. "No, I only just got here. Shall we go?"

 

*

 

At first, having Makoto watch him getting an eye exam is beyond mortifying for Rei, but it thankfully doesn't take long, and he's able to get out of that chair within just a few minutes. Makoto sits on a chair by the window the entire time, either looking at his phone or straight at Rei who sits with this embarrassing contraption covering half his face as the optometrist keeps switching the lenses and asks him " _which is better, one... or two? One... or two?_ "

"Finally", he sighs in relief as he walks over to Makoto, who gets up from his chair. He laughs. "That wasn't so bad, though, was it?"

"It's not that I'm not used to it", Rei begins, and before he continues, he stops himself, causing Makoto to look at him in confusion. "What?"

Rei bites his lower lip. "It's... different when someone else is here", he elects to say, rather than saying what his mind so desperately wanted to get out.

"Oh. Well, at least you got it over with. Let's look at some glasses, hmm? Do you think you'll go with glasses similar to the ones you already have?"

Rei looks over at the shelves displaying glasses in all sorts of shapes, colours and price bands. His parents had given him a budget, so he knows he can't go completely overboard with his decision. Not that he'd ever want to, anyway, in case he ends up accidentally breaking them or something.

"I think I might", Rei says. "I'm so used to these now that going with a different colour would feel odd."

Makoto laughs a little. "Yeah, you're probably right. I was thinking along the same lines with my glasses as well. Though... black is a little boring, isn't it? Maybe I should go for something different, after all."

Realising he's never actually seen Makoto wear glasses, Rei tries to imagine his senior in them and tries to figure out a colour that would fit him. Well, black actually doesn't sound all that bad, so why not? He's not sure what else would fit, so the only thing they can do is to try out a few different pairs.

While Rei's only looking for one colour in particular, Makoto tries a whole variety of reading glasses, constantly asking Rei if they look good and if he should get "these or maybe these ones... or these?". It's not easy to pick for himself, but it's proving rather difficult to settle on a pair that suits Makoto best, as well.

After having tried on way more than is probably normal, Rei finally finds a pair similar to the ones he used to have in a slightly darker shade of red and decides to get these the glasses are done. His optometrist told him it'd take a week or so, but that she'd hold on to the ones he'd found so he'd be sure to get them. Makoto gets himself a pair of dark blue reading glasses, and since he doesn't have to get special glass for them, he just pays for his new pair of reading glasses, and gets a case to keep them in as well.

"This was fun", Makoto says upon them exiting the building. "I'm glad we did this. We don't get to spend a whole lot of time together just the two of us, do we?"

Rei feels a blush colour his cheeks and make him warm. He stares down at the ground as they walk further into town. "You're right. I'm... I'm glad, too. Thank you for coming with me — I know this probably isn't normal for friends to do, but..."

He stops himself there, and feels a slight pain in his chest by having to utter the word "friend". It's getting more and more difficult for him to be around Makoto like this, to make an effort into pretending that he doesn't have a mad crush on his senior, and that whenever Makoto looks at him, it doesn't make his heart flutter and make it difficult for him to breathe, when in reality — it does.

It's so difficult, and sometimes he's so mentally exhausted by the end of the day that he has difficulty just dealing with trivial, everyday things like eating, watching TV or reading a book.

"It's fine, Rei", Makoto says with a reassuring smile. "I enjoyed it, and I'm glad you asked. I like spending time with you, it's really relaxing and fun, too."

Rei stops, and it takes Makoto a few steps to realise. He stops, too, and looks back at Rei with a confused look. "Is something wrong?"

He sighs. He has to say something,  _do_ something, anything... all he knows is that he can't pretend anymore.

Pretending like he's determined enough to do this, Rei takes a deep breath and walks up to Makoto. He stops right in front of his upperclassman and timidly looks up at him. "Makoto-senpai, there's— there's something I've wanted to say to you. For a long time. I've never found the right time or place to do so since... well, like you said earlier, we've never been alone, just you and I. So... ah, I'll just get to the point. I like you, Makoto-senpai. I really do. And not... not just as a friend. I'm sorry, and I know that this might be weird."

He's trembling, and his heart's racing in his chest. He sputters out the words, stumbles over them and isn't sure if it makes any sense since he doesn't really know what he's saying in the first place. All he knows is that his mind is doing all the work and he's just going with the flow and whatever it is within him that's making him do this right now. Why has it taken him so long? Why hasn't he just pulled Makoto aside and told him this before?

Not to say that he's in the clear, even though he's pretty sure he's said all he needs to. There's still that one, tiny but very, very important detail — Makoto's reaction. Rei is terrified of looking him in the eyes, so he averts his gaze and balls his fists to try and steel himself for what's about to come.

Two hands are placed on his shoulders, and he slowly looks up into those emerald eyes that always makes him melt whenever they're looking directly at him. And they are now, too. And they look serious, determined, and it makes Rei want to flee. He wants to run and never look back, but the hands on his shoulders would probably prevent him from running if he tried.

Makoto sighs, but the smile remains on his lips. "Why are you apologising? It's nothing to be sorry for. I'm... really surprised, actually. And flattered. I had no idea you felt this way... wow."

Rei doesn't know what to think, what to say. So, as he usually does in situations like these, he keeps his mouth shut in case Makoto's going to continue. He hears his heartbeat loudly in his ears and he has trouble breathing — this is true  terror. Is he going to be rejected? He can almost see it in front of him, the way Makoto's going to gently turn him down with a "I'm very flattered, but I think we should just stay friends" kind of phrase that'll shatter his heart even though he's fully prepared for it.

"I had no idea, and I didn't want to say anything since I can't really read you like I can read Haru."

_What?_

"What?" Rei asks, but his voice is so low that he thinks he might have to repeat himself. But then Makoto's grip on his shoulders tighten ever so slightly, and Rei swears the entire world stops as Makoto's lips meet his. They stay like that for a few seconds, but to Rei, it feels like half an eternity, and he doesn't ever want to let go. He places his shaky hands on Makoto's arms, closes his eyes and lets himself enjoy this moment that he never, ever would have expected to occur in his lifetime.

When those very long seconds end, Makoto puts his forehead against Rei's, and the sunbeam smile is back. "I like you, too, Rei."

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah."

A moment of silence passes, and Rei tries to process this new information that still doesn't really make sense no matter how many times he replays it in his head. Did Makoto just return his feelings? Isn't this just a dream he's having during the night when he couldn't actually get much sleep? Is this—

"So I guess... this was kinda like our first date, huh."

Makoto's voice interrupts his train of thought, and Rei meets his gaze. He manages a smile, a genuine one, and kisses Makoto again. He's overflowing with all sorts of emotions and doesn't really know  what to do with them, but for now, this'll have to do. He leapt out into the unknown, having a completely different scenario in his head than what actually happened, and now... now he's glad he actually did it. After all this time, it all worked out in the end.

"I guess so", he says, and Makoto laughs.

 

*


End file.
